How I Earned $16K in One Year Selling Digital Services: A Step-by-Step Guide

In early 2023, I was looking for an additional source of income. My goal was to find quick-to-implement ideas that would generate a reasonable monthly return without taking too much time. Here's a step-by-step breakdown of what I did, in case you're interested in replicating this model.

Initial Services — The first service I offered was helping people create ChatGPT accounts. Initially, I did this for free, but as demand grew, I decided to charge a small fee to cover the costs of obtaining a US phone number for SMS verification (around $0.75 per number). I created a post explaining how people could do this themselves, but many still preferred I handle it for them.

Realizing some people valued their time over the minimal cost, I introduced a basic pricing model: $5 for creating a ChatGPT account, and $30 for a ChatGPT Plus subscription, which required setting up a unique payment card for each client to manage renewals and balance. This service gained traction, and many clients subscribed monthly.

Expanding Services — I added more services over time, such as Personal Shopping Assistance (helping clients find the best deals in the U.S. for a fixed fee), International Shipping (facilitating deliveries using DHL, USPS, or UPS), Account Services (assisting clients in creating Wise accounts, ordering cards, and shipping them internationally), Visa Assistance (Schengen, U.S., and other tourist visas), and Consulting Services.

Marketing Strategy — I needed a simple way to showcase these services and handle payments seamlessly. Instead of creating a website initially, I opted for BuyMeACoffee, a platform that allows creators to offer services and collect payments with low fees and a user-friendly interface.

Read the full breakdown on Medium for the marketing playbook and earnings details.